Glyndebourne cancels opera tour following ACE cut

Glyndebourne has announced it will not tour its opera productions around the country this year following a 50% cut to the funding it receives from Arts Council England (ACE). 

As part of ACE's investment plans for 2023-26, announced in November, the East Sussex based organisation retained its National Portfolio status but had its annual funding cut to £800,000.

It said that it has been exploring alternative ways to make its annual tour – which takes place from October to December each year – financially viable, but without success.  

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The news follows a similar decision by Welsh National Opera, which has said it will no longer tour in Liverpool because of cuts to the funding it receives from ACE.

Meanwhile, English National Opera has warned that it faces closure after being dropped from the National Portfolio entirely, although it has been offered £17m over three years from ACE to relocate.

Delicate ecosystem

Richard Davidson-Houston, Managing Director of Glyndebourne, said: "The latest funding settlement from Arts Council England is devastating for many in the opera sector, which was targeted with significant cuts. 

"It risks undermining the delicate ecosystem in which we operate.

"These cuts have been justified in part by the need to redirect public funding to support culture in the regions. 

"In this context, the decision to reduce Glyndebourne’s funding by 50% appears contradictory because it has the direct, inevitable and foreseeable consequence of rendering our tour financially unsustainable."

"This news adds to a series of setbacks for freelancers, is disappointing for our loyal venue partners and worsens cultural provision for audiences around the country who have enjoyed Glyndebourne's world-class opera productions at an affordable price in their local area for more than 50 years."

Stephen Langridge, Artistic Director of Glyndebourne, said the 2023 tour would have taken perfromances to Liverpool, Canterbury, Norwich and Milton Keynes. 

He said that, alongside main stage performances, the organisation had planned exciting opportunities for people in those locations to make music with Glyndebourne in their community.

"This would have seen hundreds of children singing with the Glyndebourne Chorus, workshops in care homes and chamber music recitals in universities," he said. 

"Sadly, this autumn we will not be able to offer these extraordinary opera experiences so widely across England."